IT MAKES ME SAY SOMETHING - 10

IT MAKES ME SAY SOMETHING – 10 The indiscriminate murder of police officers – nothing heroic about it – makes me say something. Friends of mine retired from law enforcement – I have family still in service; for a short while I was an MP (military policeman) while on active duty in the Marine Corps. These and my life experiences give me some idea of what police community relations should look like. Just laws and enforcement of those laws are absolutely necessary for a civil society to sustain itself. Citizens must be protected against those who would do them harm. I refuse to close my eyes to the reality that some people among us don’t give a damn about anyone but themselves; they don’t give a shit about color or kind – they will take whatever they can get away with, including human life. Some crafty criminals work to turn color and kind against each other. I frankly don’t care whether someone hates me or not; but when a hater tries to harm me I want an officer of the law to hear my cry for help – I’ll fight till he or she gets there. If law enforcers and citizens do not work together there will be chaos. American law enforcers don’t have a long history of protecting black people; more often than not law enforcers have been used to restrict the rights of and even kill black people – especially those who stood in defiance to unjust laws and enforcement. The existing mistrust between law enforcers and black communities – especially those economically depressed – shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. Now with the passing of laws that directly impact black communities and with the intensification of enforcement, the thread of trust between the black community and law enforcers is at a breaking point. Law enforcement in the 21st Century cannot work in a democracy using treat and intimidation – fewer and fewer people are afraid of dying while more and more people have guns…. www.adolphusward.net, www.amazon.com/author/adolphusward

JUST SHARING MY THOUGHTS - 3

JUST SHARING MY THOUGHTS – 3 A close female friend and I were having lunch with conversation about what could be done to increase the presence and diversity of African American stories in the media – specifically stage and film. As in many conversations by many people in the entertainment industry some good ideas were discussed. Enthused by something I said my friend suggested we put together a group to take the discussion further. My sharp response punctured her inflated enthusiasm and left her somewhat confused and stunned. I explained that I was not interested in forming or joining a group to discuss anything – “I don’t want to discuss shit.” I went on to say that I had been on and chaired committees that pleasured themselves in discussing one thing or another; that pleasured themselves in studying a problem. I have concluded that most discussion-groups pleasure themselves in doing nothing but discussing. If one is really interested in moving past discussing the economic social political psychological condition of Black Americans read any one or all of the following books: “SLAVERY by ANOTHER NAME” by Douglas A Blackmon; “THE NEW JIM CROW” by Michelle Alexander; “SHOULD AMERICA PAY?” by Raymond A Winbush . I’m only interested in Doing not Talking. If I am ever again standing with a group, or sub-group, that group will include officials from every level of our government, stock holding members and CEOs of financial institutions, CEOs and HEADS of business, religious, educational, social, law enforcement, and community institutions; and others who have a stake in developing the imprisoned potential of Africans Americans. I submit that all Americans will benefit when every human being, living is this beautiful country, is enabled to develop their full potential.

IT MAKES ME SAY SOMETHING - 9

IT MAKES ME SAY SOMETHING – 9 I see a relationship between our government’s torture of perceived enemies (terrorists) and the threat intimidation and killing of African Americans by law enforcer – this makes me say something. When I look at how enemy prisoners are tortured and compare it to how black people are treated I see more similarities than differences; and it scares the shit out of me. If what I’m seeing is true then it means black people are perceived to be enemies (terrorists) of the United States and subject to whatever treatment deemed necessary by the military and law enforcers. I think the military and law enforcers are using the same rule book for controlling – black – domestic enemies as they do for foreign enemies. I’m convinced that the same philosophical/psychological basis governing the treatment of foreign enemies is the same basis governing – black – domestic enemies. Both the military and law enforcers are directed by orders from their superiors; those superiors are directed by rule books, manuals, spelling out how when and where activities are to be carried out. The manuals are created by a small group of individuals to include those educated in human behavior – psychologist. The reason we see law enforcer acting more like soldiers on a battlefield is because they are following the same orders, from the same manual, from the same psychology. www.adolphusward.net, www.amazon.com/author/adolphusward

JUST SHARING ME - 2

JUST SHARING ME – 2 Sunday was my Think Day – it’s the day I’ve set aside for assessing what I did or didn’t do during the week. I call it my stink day since I don’t usually shower or foldup my sofa bed – I don’t leave my apartment. Yesterday was an exception; I did some bending and stretching to get my heartrate up, had an oatmeal breakfast, took a shower and drove a short distant to a Crown Bookstore at Westfield Topanga to hear a lovely writer friend, Lila Lee Silvern, read from her new book: CONFESSIONS of a GERIATRIC PROM QUEEN. I do buy and read lots of books. I own a number of African and African American art pieces – including an original fabric piece by SHERRY EVON WHETSTONE, also an original painting by CHARLOTTE HILL O’NEAL. When you enter my apartment you know a black man lives here. The new-year, 2015, will find me spending more time at home, buying far fewer books and art pieces, and eating out less. I already cut my charitable gifts – that will continue through next year. The reason is this year I spent a considerable amount of money on publishing the second edition of my three novels – and on advertising, and on writer’s conferences, and books on writing. It will take all of next year to repay the bank and myself. I’m now beginning to record an Audio Book for each title – the first will be available at Amazon early next year. www.adolphusward.net, www.amazon.com/author/adolphusward

IT MAKES ME SAY SOMETHING - 8

IT MAKES ME SAY SOMETHING – 8 The systemic racism in the law and law-enforcement continues to take black lives – this makes me say something. As police continue to move from Protect and Serve to Control and Dominate, antagonism will continue to increase between black people and police officers. The shift from Serve to Control can best be seen in the military style uniforms and actions of police. The shift in the application of law can be seen in the punitive sentencing handed down by courts – a sentence has no relative balance with an alleged crime. I’m almost 80 years old; I remember a time when Milwaukee neighborhood beat cops would stop to chat with my parents while on patrol. Whites had begun their flight to the suburbs; it was predominantly a black community; we did have a few black police officers. The point I’m getting to is that there was some tension between black citizens and policemen but conduct between the two made room for dignity and respect – policemen didn’t normally bully back citizens with the threat of violence. Older black men and women, as a rule, worked to keep any conflict with a policeman from escalating. Younger black men and women, as I see them, don’t have the same conciliatory – fearful – mindset as older black people. So while laws governing race and law-enforcement have become boldly disrespectful, young blacks have become boldly insistent on being treated with equal justice, dignity and respect: and they’re not backing down. www.adolphusward.net, www.amazon.com/author/adolphusward

IT MAKES ME SAY SOMETHING - 7

IT MAKES ME SAY SOMETHING – 7 As a grandfather with grandsons and nephews the emboldened slaughter of young black men by some white policemen makes me say something. I have witnessed the conduct of white officers, when approaching black people grow from cautiously intimidating to emboldened domination – total disregard for the civil and human rights of black human beings. It’s as though police departments issue a special license to racist cops allowing them to do whatever the hell they want – as long as it’s only done to black people. No such license would be issued for Italians, Irish, Germans, Polish or any group of white people. When a racist cop inters a predominantly white community he know better than to use the conduct he so easily uses in a black community – he knows there would be severe and immediate consequence. He is fearful that his livelihood and quite possibly his life would be ended. No amount of diversity-training or examination of law enforcement regulations will arrest the conduct of a racist cop. Until the black community, I mean all black people – whatever their income or location – create fear in white racists, no black person is safe from the growing brutality of black people by law enforcers. The power to stop the slaughter of our black men – and very soon our black women – is in black hands. www.adolphusward.net, www.amazon.com/author/adolphusward